Foldable screen



R. PANZA FOLDABLE SCREEN man., 2% ma.,

Filed Feb. 13, 1935 Patented Jan. 28, 1936 yUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDABLE SCREEN Ralph Panza, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved hinge construction which is particularly well adapted for use for hinging together the sections of a lireplace screen, but said hinge is not limited to use in such a situation as it may be found desirable to apply it on a number of other situations.

More specically the invention relates to the combination of the hinge structure per se with the foldable frame sections hereinafter illustrated and described.

Among the objects of the invention are improvementin respect to simplicity and low cost of construction, a more compact structure, and in regard to the provision of a more substantial and durable structure in the class of hinges to which the invention pertains.

Other objects and advantages and features of invention may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment oi the invention,

Fig. l is a perspective View of a portion of a replace screen structure showing the application of the invention thereto, the fragment of the screen shown being in the upstanding operative position.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation including the structure shown in Fig. l and additional parts, the two leaves or wings of the screen shown being folded together, their central part being broken away in order to contract the view.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 2, a central part being also broken away in this view.

Fig. 4 is a sectional fragment of the lower part of the structure shown in Fig. 3, taken on line rfiil of the latter view.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the hinged structure,

Fig. 6 is a perspective, fragmentary view of a modiiication wherein the leaves of the hinge structure are integral with the sections which they hingedly unite.

Referring in detail to the drawing, in Fig. 1 is shown an end section 'l hinged to a corner fragment 8 of the main screen frame of a set of fireplace screens, said sections 1 and 8 being respectively furnished with the upper corner hinge plates 9 and I9. In Fig. 2 are shown the corresponding lower hinge plates Sa and Illa wherein is duplicated the hinge structure associated with said plates 9 and I.

Describing the hinge structure associated with the plates 9 and I0, said plates are of in part box-like form, having each the side wall Il, top

13, 1935, Serial N0. 6,312

wall l2 and end wall I3. shown provided with an The corner plate I0 is apertured hinge ear I5 which is countersunk or -downwardly oiset in order to match up with and smoothly underlie the cooperating ear I S of the corner plate 9, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 2. A split rivet I8 is shown pivotally uniting the hinge ears l5 and The parts l5, I6, and I8 are duplicated in a reverse arrangement in the foot portion of the structure where they are respectively lettered 15a, I6a, and |8a and the letter a is also applied wherever the top structure is duplicated below.

Describing further the structures shown in Fig. 1, the hinge plate l I unites the upstanding angle iron member 2D with the horizontal top angle iron member 2l,

the left hand fireplace screen section being completed by the upstanding angle iron 22 and corner plate 23 and the screen 24 being spotwelded to all three of the angle irons.

the vertical anges of 'Ihe plates Il and 23 are riveted or otherwise secured to the angle irons.

A handle 25 may be attached to the upper flange of the angle iron 2i.

As the hinge pivots aline with the outer edges of the external angle iron flanges, when two adjacent connected frames of the fireplace screen are folded together the outer edges of the external flanges of one frame substantially meet the outer edges of the corresponding angle iron flanges of the other frame.

In Fig. 3 parts are shown of the three screen sections which make up the usual fireplace screen assembly, the main section 8 having an auxiliary section 'I hinged to each of its ends.

be opened to any desired extent to secure adjustment at angles suiiiciently great to insure that they will upstand in front of the fireplace in a stable manner.

Also in both forms of the invention, wherever two of the apertured ears cooperate to receive a common hinge pivot, one of said ears is an undeflected extension of a flange of which it forms a part, and the other of said ears is offset or deilected in order to match up in a iiatwise contacting relation below (or it with which it cooperates.

simplifies manufacture.

could be above) the ear This construction It would add somewhat to the cost of the die making if both ears were oppositely offset.

In Fig. 1 theV hinge structure 35 in the extreme right hand portion of the view is not described in detail as it includes only parts of the structure the arrangement of which will be readily deduced from the foregoing description.

I claim:`

1. A screen of the kind described including a plurality of sections each of which is provided with a rectangular frame of angle iron, the angle irons at the sides, top and bottom of the frame 'being arranged to have one leg of each in a cornmon plane and the remaining leg of each projecting in a common direction from said plane, corner pieces for said frame each having a plane body portion provided with a pair of side flanges at right angles to each other and projecting in like direction from the body, said body being Vriveted to adjacent sides of the vframe with the anges Vembracing the corners, the corner pieces of adjacent frames having projecting and overlapping hinge eyes, and pivot rivets extending through said eyes, said hinge eyes being arranged on the horizontal anges of the corner pieces with their centers alining With theffree edges of the vertical flanges. Y

2. A fireplace screen of the kind described including a plurality of sections each of which is provided With an upright rectangular frame, the adjoining vertical frame members of each section having portions provided with contiguous vertical edges, hinge eyes extending from adjoining horizontal frame members of said sections and having the axes of the apertures thereof in alignment with the respective edges of said vertical members, and pivot rivets for said eyes,A

whereby the sections are hinged together with the space between the said edges at all times substantially closed to prevent sparks from'passing therethrough. i y

RALPH PANZA. 

